A mother who left her toddler son to die in a 45C scalding bath for two hours while she was passed out on a cocktail of drugs has been jailed for three years.

Kerry Abel, 38, had claimed she became dizzy and fainted as she stood up while bathing her two-year-old son, Riley Lewis at their home in Hull, East Yorkshire.

But a jury ruled that she was guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence after evidence
emerged showing she was a persistent drug user and left Riley to suffer
horrific burns and drown while she was high on a mixture of diazepam, temazepam, heroin, cocaine and cannabis.

Tragic: Kerry Abel, 38, (left) left her two-year-old son Riley Lewis (right) to drown after taking a cocktail of eight different drugs and passing out while he was in the bath. She was found guilty of manslaughter

Riley was found face-down in the bath water with burns across almost his entire body on January 4 last year.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Abel had eight different drugs in her system at the time of her son's death - diazepam, temazepam, heroin, methadone, tramadol, cocaine, cannabis and the painkiller pregabalin, which she had bought from a friend.

Abel claimed she had only left him alone for five minutes, but Richard Wright QC, prosecuting, said experts agreed he must have spent at least two hours in the water.

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The prosecutor alleged that Abel put her son in the bath, and 'affected by drugs, fell asleep'.

Sheffield Crown Court heard the burns were caused after Riley had drowned.

Abel had been prescribed methadone to treat her heroin addiction but she had not been able to get her regular dose because it was 'lost in the system', the court heard.

She was given an emergency dose on January 2, but failed to collect her prescription the following day.

Experienced: Andrew Lewis, the partner of Kerry Abel (pictured left and right) said she 'deliberately took a cocktail of drugs', adding that 'as an experienced drug user, she well understood the dangers'

Although methadone was in her body the day Riley died, she had also taken tramadol, her partner’s diazepam, and the painkiller pregabalin.

The court heard pregabalin produces a 'euphoric' effect, and that Abel had previously tried and failed to get her doctor to prescribe it.

Tests also found traces of heroin, cocaine and cannabis in her blood.

Abel, who lived in the property with Riley’s father Andrew Lewis and their children, had wanted the toddler to 'inhale steam' to treat a chest infection, the court heard.

Jurors were told that Mr Lewis called 999 at 11.48pm on January 4 last year and said his son was dead.

Mr Wright said Abel 'deliberately took a cocktail of drugs during the day that would inevitably have an effect on her function, and as an experienced drug user, she well understood the dangers'.

Sentencing her on Friday, Mr Justice Coulson said: 'Riley died as a result of your gross negligece.'

'He was in your care, he trusted you, you let him down, you completely let him down.'

Sheffield Crown Court (pictured) heard how Abel had eight different drugs in her system at the time of her son's death - diazepam, temazepam, heroin, methadone, tramadol, cocaine, cannabis and the painkiller pregabalin

Mr Justice Coulson said there was no suggestion Abel was responsible for Riley’s burns, which he accepted happened after the boy drowned.

In mitigation, Benjamin Nolan QC, defending, told the court that no punishment meted out could be any worse than the loss of her son.

Mr Nolan said: 'No punishment the court can impose will be as great as the loss she is already suffering.'

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Mathew Hutchinson of Humberside Police said: 'This was a very sad case where a small child was ultimately let down by the very person who he should have been able to depend on.'

'Riley’s death was needless and preventable... He was a normal, healthy little boy but tragically, the choices made by Kerry Abel in respect of her drug taking, resulted in his premature death.'

Hull City Council said it was conducting a Serious Case Review 'to see if there are any lessons which can be learned to improve the way in which local agencies work together.'

Paul Dyson, independent chair of the Hull Safeguarding Children Board, said a report would be published in September.